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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Review: Wall-E (2008)...
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| Homer Yen... |
 Posted: Mon Sep 01, 2008 8:07 pm |
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"Wall-E" -- A Nice Space Odyssey
by Homer Yen
(c) 2008
PIXAR studios has consistently churned out one feel-good hit after
another. And "Wall-E" won't disappoint. It is an incredible piece of
animated art. The soundtrack evokes a romantic era which buoys the
love story within. And, the story mixes in elements from "2001: A
Space Odyssey," "Star Trek," and "Short Circuit". Now, it's not
perfect, for the story is a tad too dark for those under 10, and it's
a tad weak in its ability to hold the parental-attention-span. In
fact, last year's "Ratatouille" was superior. Yet, this film is miles
ahead of "Cars."
It's 700 years in the future, and the state of humanity looks bleak.
Due to rising levels of pollution and trash and toxicity, humans have
left the planet. More on the fate of them later. It appears that all
that's left on Mother Earth is a little droid known as a Waste
Allocation Load Lifter, Earth class. More affectionately known as
WALL-E, he's a trash compactor who spends his days collecting garbage,
squashing it into cubes, and then depositing them on empty swaths of
land in such a way so as to be able to assemble them into something of
a rubbish pyramid.
There's a lot of tender-loving-care that has been put into the
creation of our little hero. WALL-E is equipped with a laser beam to
cut through obstacles, mechanical parts that are easily replaceable
(if he can find them), wipers for eyelids, and even hydraulics to
crush the garbage into cubes. His home reminds me of the attic of an
eccentric uncle who stores all of the odd collectibles that he found
over the years but never threw away. He and his home are incredibly
detailed.
The first 30 minutes, some will notice, is quite boring. And, it's
true that not much happens. It is an opportunity for the film to
showcase its attention to detail, great visuals, and feats of
animation. In fact, I would probably say that you wouldn't be missing
much if you strolled into the film 25 minutes late if it were not for
the extremely clever mini-film at the beginning.
More on "WALL-E" later because I have to give props to the opening
mini-film. Entitled "Presto", it is about a disagreement between a
magician and his bunny. The presentation evokes the shenanigans of
Bugs Bunny and the frantic spurts of Spongebob Squarepants. In a
7-minute span, the cartoon short makes you laugh, makes you feel
joyful, and makes you feel appreciative of the power of animation.
Like all of the other PIXAR mini-shorts that precede the main
attraction, there is no dialogue. It appeals to all cultures. And,
of all the Pixar mini-shorts, this one is the best that I've seen.
Now, back to the main attraction. One day, WALL-E sees a strange
spaceship land. It deploys a robotic scout. We learn that her name
is Eva, she carries a powerful gun, she can fly faster than the speed
of sound, but she has come to Earth for a very important and specific
mission. Now the story moves from the barren planet to a far-away
spaceship where the human race has been displaced. At this point, the
film picks it up two notches. Before that happens, "WALL-E" feels
more like a visit to the planetarium rather than a movie.
The latter half blossoms into a grand buddy-adventure film, which is
what you would hope for and expect. What actually happens to WALL-E
and Eva and the Human race, I'll leave to you to discover. But as the
film moves towards its suspenseful conclusion, there are probably
three things going through your head. 1) I can't wait for PIXAR's
next project. 2) An imagination without boundaries creates a story
without limitations. 3) Go for the hand, WALL-E, go!!!
Grade: B+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3 |
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